Keep your vegetable garden healthy and thriving with this year-long guide to preparation, planting and maintenance.

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The vegetable garden is a busy place for many months of the year,
starting with ground preparation and sowing seeds in spring, followed by
crop care and harvesting through summer and into fall. Use the winter
months for clearing up, digging beds, and planning for the year ahead. Follow this year-round guide for an outline of the steps that will help your garden to flourish throughout the seasons.

Spring

1. Preparation

In early spring, give your greenhouse a really good cleaning. Remove
any bubble plastic if the frost is over, and clean all the window
panes — inside and out. Replace any cracked panes, and check that
automatic vents are working. Paint any wood panels, and wash down the
greenhouse floor and shelves with water and disinfectant.

Turn over the soil to ensure that it has not become compacted — try to
avoid stepping on it if possible.

Put supports in place for climbing plants; construct wigwams from
bamboo canes to support climbing beans.

In late spring, prepare beds for early summer sowings.

2. Sowing seeds

Sow vegetable seed in a greenhouse to give both hardy and tender
varieties a headstart. Begin with eggplant, beets, carrots, cucumber,
peppers and tomatoes.

In mid-spring, sow seeds such as green and runner beans, sweet corn,
beets, broccoli, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, spinach and Swiss chard
directly in the ground, and cover with cloches if frost threatens.

In late spring, sow zucchini and squash seeds under cover in a
greenhouse.

3. Planting out

In early spring, plant out early seed potatoes, garlic and onion and
shallot sets.

In mid-spring, plant out mid-season potatoes and globe and Jerusalem
artichokes.

Lift and pot on seedlings of leeks, eggplant and early summer
cabbages, and harden off those that will be planted outside. Use cloches
or cold frames to protect vulnerable seedlings from frost or pests.

In late spring, harden off, and plant out seedlings, such as peppers,
tomatoes, celery and Brussels sprouts.

Begin to transplant well-developed seedlings of cauliflower, zucchini and Florence fennel, and provide them with protection from cloches as
necessary.

Feed, weed and water greenhouse plants regularly, and ventilate on
hot days to prevent temperatures from rising too high. As summer goes
on, shade the greenhouse by applying whitewash to the glass, and on very
hot days damp down the floor by splashing water on it. Remove pests and
diseases on sight, or buy biological controls.

Fall and Winter

1. Sowing seeds

In early fall, sow spinach and Swiss chard under cover, and transplant
spring cabbages outside. Sow hardy lettuce varieties for winter and
early spring picking.

From midwinter onward, sow hardy crops under cover ready for planting
out in early spring, such as broad beans, early carrots and cauliflower,
leeks, lettuce, onions, shallots, spring cabbages and peas.

2. Harvesting

Harvest the last crops of many vegetables, including beets, carrots,
chiles, cucumbers, cabbages, green and runner beans, peppers, potatoes,
sweet corn, tomatoes, squash and turnips. Kale, leeks and parsnips
should also be ready for harvesting as required, but can be left to
stand in the ground for longer.

Over the winter, continue to harvest Brussels sprouts, cabbage, kale,
parsnips and leeks.

3. Other tasks

In fall, remove any spent plants, and give the green-house a good
cleaning after the busy summer months before bringing in the plants that
will overwinter there.

Tidy the garden, removing all dead plants — if the debris is
disease-free, transfer it to the compost heap.

If the greenhouse is not heated, line the windows with bubble plastic
to raise the temperature and keep out frost. Check plants for pests and
diseases, and ensure their compost is slightly moist but not wet.

Get Some Garden Inspiration With our Gallery of 27 Vegetables
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photos